Projector slide tray



SGP 10, 1957 w. s. MGKEE, JR., ET AL 2,805,503

' PROJECTOR SLIDE TRAY Filed April 24, 1957 ATTORNEY'- United States Patent O M PRoJEC'roR simu TRAY Walter S. McKee, Jr., and Richard L. Troth, Bethesda, and Lawrence E. Troth, Chevy Chase, Md.

Application April 24, 1957, Serial No. 654,957

Claims. (Cl. 40-79) This invention relates to a novel slide tray for use with stereopticon projectors of the general type in which sildes are carried in pockets of the tray, are shifted one at a time from the tray to a projecting station and are returned to the tray after projection, the tray being intermittently advanced to successively present the slides for projection.

lt is often desirable when cataloging, filing or examining slides after mounting, to be able to insert and remove them one at a time rather than run a tray through its complete in and out cycle for each slide. Then, too,

there are times when it is desired to project single slides out of a group without running through a plurality of trays. Such operations, however, cannot be performed with conventional automatic projectors and the present invention is designed to make them possible by providing :1n-improved tray construction permitting insertion and removal of individual slides without removing the tray from the projector.

A further object of the invention is to provide the tray top with two slots and associated finger notches, to allow insertion and removal of slides and to permit easy changing of a slide inserted through one slot while a slide inserted through the other slot is being projected.

Another object is to provide the tray with two spaced stops to limit the movements of the tray to the proper positions for projection of first one and then the other of the slides inserted through the slots, said stops being cooperable with a tooth of the usual pinion embodied in the projector for longitudinally shifting the conventional slide tray.

With the above and other objects in view that will become apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawing and claimed.

in the drawing:

Fig. l is a top view of the improved tray;

Fig. 2 is an outer side elevation; and

Fig. 3 lis a transverse sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. l.

The tray embodies a top 35, a bottom 36, a longitudinally slotted outer side wall 37, end walls 38, and spaced transverse partitions 39 dividing the tray interior into slide-receiving pockets 39gd consecutively numbered as seen in Fig. 1. All of this construction is conventional and the improvements are described below:

Two transverse slots 4i) and 40a are formed in the tray top 35 and communicate with two of the slide pockets 39a, respectively, said slots extending from the tray side wall 37 to the free edge of said top 35 and being disposed near the ends of the nay.

At the opposite sides of the slot 40, the top 35 is formed with finger notches 41; and corresponding notches 41a are formed in said top at opposite sides of the slot 4432-. The upper portions of the partitions 39 which would otherwise span the notches 41 and 4ta are also notched out as shown at 42 in Fig. 3, to prevent interference with insertion of the tips of the thumb and forenger into the notches 41 or 41a.

Due to the slots 40 and 40e, two slides to be indi- I vidually projected may be downwardly inserted into the tray and the tray then inserted into the projector to allow said slides to be successively projected. After the first slide has been projected and returned to the tray, the latter is shifted to permit projection of the second slide; and during projection of this second slide, the first slide may be changed.

Heretofore, the tray has been provided with a longitudinal series of rack teeth cooperable with a pinion to successively advance the tray. The pinion is shown by broken lines in Fig. 2 but the present invention omits the series of rack teeth. Instead, two spaced stops 43 and 4,3a are provided on the lower portion of the tray side wall 37. These stops coact with the upper tooth of the pinion to limit the sliding movements of the tray. When stop 43 abuts the pinion, the tray is in position for moving the slide, inserted through slot 40, to the projecting station. When this slide has been returned to the tray and this tray has been shifted until the stop 43a abuts the pinion, the slide inserted through the other slot 40a is in position for movement to the projecting station.

In addition to being operable as above explained, the tray may be completely loaded and used as heretofore, except that the absence of the series of rack teeth necessitates that the tray be manually pushed or pulled to its successive positions.

From lthe above detailed description of the invention, it is believed that the construction, use, and operation thereof will at once be apparent, and while there is herein shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

i. A projector slide tray comprising a horizontally elongated body having two longitudinally spaced transverse slide-receiving pockets, said pockets being open at one vertical side of said body to allow horizontal movement of the slides from said pockets to the projecting station of a projector and return of the slides to said pockets, said body having two transverse slots communicating with said pockets respectively and opening through the top of said body to permit vertical insertion and removal of the slides.

2. A structure as set forth in claim 1; said top of said body having finger tip-receiving recesses at opposite sides of and communicating with said slots.

3. A structure as set forth in claim l; said body having two longitudinally spaced stops for limiting longitudinal sliding movements of said body, said stops being located to selectively abut the tray-feeding pinion of a conventional projector.

4. A projector slide tray comprising a top, a bottom, a longitudinally slotted outer side wall, end walls, and transverse partitions dividing the tray interior into slidereceiving pockets, said top having two transverse slots near its ends and communicating with two of said pockets respectively to allow downward insertion of two slides into these pockets respectively, said top having finger-tipreceiving notches at opposite sides of and communicating with said slots to allow easy lifting of the slides from said pockets, said partitions being devoid of any portions interfering with finger tip insertion into said notches.

5. A structure as set forth in claim' 4; the lower portion of said side wall being provided with two longitudinally spaced stops, whereby when said slide tray is associated with a projector said stops will engage the tray feeding pinion of the projector and limit the longitudinal sliding movement of said tray.

No references cited.

Patented Sept. 10, 1957' 

